All Sierra games don't require it, though.īut again, as far as pricing goes it varies nowadays, since the only way to get a hold of them is on eBay. There are few games that actually take advantage of the extra polyphony on the MKII and if you were to play these games on a regular SC-55 then you would hear some missing instrument voices every now and again. They might be exactly the same but one may just be a later model. The XT looks exactly the same as the ST so I'm not sure what the exact differences are without seeing the specs and features of each module. I do know that the MKII has more voice polyphony than the regular, though. I think the SC-55ST was just a more compact version of the SC-55 without a lot of the front panel controls (sort of like the CM-series modules). Although I believe ONE Sierra game (again, I believe an LSL game) uses a specific sound effect sample or two from the CM-64 but it's not worth getting one over.īefore I respond to your questions, here are a couple examples of the differences between the CM-32L+ modules and a regular first-gen MT-32: None of this really concerns you and Sierra games, however. The CM-500 kind of cheats its CM-64 emulation by using the CM-300 samples instead of the actual CM-32P/CM-64 samples. The PCM samples of the CM-32P/CM-64 are different from the ones in the SC-55/CM-300 and CM-500.
The CM-32P has PCM samples used for its instruments whereas the CM-32L's instruments are synthesized by the Linear Algorithm timbre procedure, which is what allows you to create your own instruments. Everything else was written for a first-gen MT-32 (except for the later Sierra games, SCI1.1 and up which were made for the SC-55).Ī CM-64, by the way, is basically a CM-32L and a CM-32P in one. Although again, there are one or two Sierra games (LSL series) that were composed on the CM-32L. Other than the vibrato issue you probably won't notice a difference. But more or less the soundtrack will remain the same. Some sound effects like birds chirping are also not produced the same resulting in a quieter and a bit more cut-off sound than as an MT-32 would produce the same sound. The MT-32 has a more natural, slower vibrato (on instruments that use it) and the CM-series models have a much faster and a little more annoying vibrato. The vibrato chip on the CM-series models are not the same as the MT-32. It doesn't break the soundtrack or anything but there are small things that are noticeable. The CM-series (and the LAPC-I as well, actually) were built slightly differently from the original MT-32 and as a result many sound effects and instruments may sound slightly different between each model because of the difference in the way each model produces its sound. Most prefer a first generation MT-32, though. Some consider the CM-series inferior to the original MT-32 and others prefer the opposite. The MT-32 and the CM-32L/CM-64 actually differ in some ways.
MusicallyInspired wrote:I'm posting again because for some reason my PS3 is limiting the number of characters I type in a text box at once.Ģ) And is the first gen MT-32 better sounding than the CM-32L? Or is the only difference between the two that the 32L makes a couple games sound better, but otherwise is identical to the MT-32? Is the 32L in any way inferior to the first gen MT-32? Like I said, rare and probably expensive. There's a switch in the back that lets you switch between CM-64 and CM-300 modes. The CM-500 contains a CM-64 (MT-32 counterpart) and a CM-300 (SC-55 counterpart). There is a box that will do both (MT-32 and SC-55) but it's very rare. But you miss out on a lot of instruments and sound effects and altogether general awesome MT-32-ness.
This is a General MIDI module and not meant for the earlier Sierra games (SCI1.0 and earlier) though there are fanmade drivers that allow you to play those games with the SC-55. I believe it shares its specs with the CM-32L.Īlternatively, if you want to hear ALL Sierra games the way they were meant to be heard you'd need an SC-55 Sound Canvas for all later games (SC1.1 and up). It's an alternative to the external counterparts. I'm posting again because for some reason my PS3 is limiting the number of characters I type in a text box at once.